Hayley Sanchez covers the city and metro area for The Denver Post. After tracking homicides in Washington, D.C., for D.C. Witness, she was a reporter for The Bulletin in Bend, Ore., covering Central Oregon's breaking news, education, marijuana and more.

Individuals living in southeastern Colorado are more vulnerable to potential health effects from climate change than residents in other parts of the state, in part, because of the region’s susceptibility to heat and drought, according to a new index from the Colorado Health Institute.